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When to Split ?

My best lang hive swarmed 2 1/2 weeks ago.
I caught the swarm and put it in a top bar hive that I had for just such an occasion.
I fed for 2 weeks, and have 6 1/2 perfect combs.
I don't want the hive to get too big, and would like more TBH's.
When should I split? How many bars should I have ?

Re: When to Split ?

gord
A TBH should be 4 feet long and about a foot or so tall and deep.
You would end up with about 30-35 bars. I don't know of any standard number of bars but you can manipulate the 4 foot length of the hive by using a divider board mounted to a top bar, then you could move it back and forth.
As far as the split part of it, I have no experience with that. I want to split my TBH too, so somebody out there school us!

Re: When to Split ?

Next year. How much honey do you need to winter in your area? I believe that most TBH combs will average around 6-7 lbs of honey. So do the math. You will need brood nest combs for some clustering and enough combs to hold all the honey. 7 combs isn't enough. I would nurture the current hive to ensure they are built up enough to get through the winter.